


The Shape of Lance

by Sidi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Adam are and remain alive, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fun Summer fic, Happy Ending, Lance has secrets, Light Angst, M/M, Mature content will only show up later, MerMay, Mermaids, Secrets, Sexual Content, courting, mermaid au, some drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2020-03-02 18:52:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18816928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidi/pseuds/Sidi
Summary: From the moment Keith discovers the secret Allura is keeping in her lab, his life changes forever.Or, what happens when Keith is faced with an outgoing and adorable merman.





	1. Beacon

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a long time ago and didn't intend on posting it, but Mermay has me so inspired. I couldn't stop myself.

Keith _loves_ manatees.

He thinks it springs from an old love for hippos except funneled into the proper channels for a marine biologist in North America. He knows that most have him pegged as a shark lover or at least some sort of predator lover. He is trained in mixed martial arts with a specialty in blades as a hobby, so he can’t blame those who know him for making that assumption.

However, there is just something about the cute, blubbery, ambling nature of hippos, and later manatees, that he loves. Manatees especially are so gentle and peaceful. They just float and live their lives and Keith respects that.

So, when he is ready to do his final internship, he requests to be assigned to the manatee team in Florida.

His request is, surprisingly, returned with an “on hold” notification. This occurs simultaneously with a message from Allura, an old friend of Keith’s who he has known since he was a freshman just interested in marine biology. She insists on flying into Keith’s city and seeing him in person, which is exceptionally strange. They mostly text or keep in contact on Instagram. She is currently stationed in Cuba, which is far away from where Keith lives. There is no reason she should want to fly just to see him in person.

She arrives looking as gorgeous as ever, a breezy yellow dress with blue flowing kimono and silver hair windswept like the Cuban beaches have permanently altered its state.

They have coffee at a small place near Keith’s apartment.

“Keith, I put the hold on your request.”

“Uh, why?” Some might take offense to her admitting to blocking him, but Keith is confused more than anything else. Allura must have a good reason to block a request that would be easily granted otherwise.

“I need help…your help…with Project Peisinoe. It’s sensitive.”

“You have never even told me what Project Peisinoe is.”

“I know and I can’t tell you even now. But I want you on my team. I need loyal people that I can trust. We pay well. You would get certain perks, such as the project paying for your rent and a stipend for food. Cuba is gorgeous. It is also a career defining project. I can guarantee that the work we are doing will change the world and you will never struggle again for money or job opportunities.”

“But you can’t tell me any details?”

“Not yet, no. You have to agree and then sign a non-disclosure agreement. You just have to trust me, Keith.”

She places a slender hand over his, looking at him in that pleading way that she does so well.  

He can’t refuse her, especially when she asks him so genuinely, even flying in instead of just talking to him over the phone. He guesses he is inclined to accept anyway because, as much as he loves hippos, there is something exciting about the mystery of Project Peisinoe. He would need special clearances to work on the project and an iron-clad NDA that could ruin him if he broke it.

Keith is racking his brain even as Allura happily signs him up for the project to figure out what could be so sensitive about marine biology.

Keith’s mind whirls with possibilities. Maybe they had succeeded in bringing a living giant squid to the surface? Perhaps they had discovered a thought extinct species again, just like the coelacanth. Some giddy part of himself considers what it would be like if they found a megalodon. I mean, they did find a tooth that was only 10,000 years old, meaning they lived for much longer than previously thought. What if a baby megalodon is the secret at the heart of the lab?

With all of these fanciful ideas, he assumes the actual answer will be much duller. Perhaps a type of seaweed or algae that has medical uses or could eat plastic and help our pollution issue. Incredibly noble pursuits and possibly lucrative, but Keith wants to work with animals, not a plant that might have good bacteria on it.

He keeps his excitement in check as he plans his relocation. This is common for someone in his position, not quite graduated yet, but close, just work study left now. He expects to go to Florida to study manatees so he isn’t entirely prepared to go to a new country. He gets a passport, has it rush shipped, and then he is on his way with a set of audio books to help him learn Spanish. It is only a few weeks before he finds himself in a beautiful little area of Cuba with a vibrant, private beach. It is where Allura has been working for the last two years.

She takes him out to lunch and shows him his new apartment, one that she picked out herself. It is much nicer than he would have gotten for himself and also located very close to their lab. She tells him that there are small bedrooms at the lab as well if he should ever find himself too tired to drive home and all of this is good and well except for the fact that Keith doesn’t really care. He just wants to know what this entire project is about, but Allura ducks him at every turn. She is remarkably good at keeping everything private and vague, even when he meets the rest of the team. Hunk, Pidge, one a marine biologist, the other, Pidge, an audiologist who dabbles in forensic technology.

Shiro is an animal behavioralist so Keith assumes, at some point, there will be animals involved in whatever secret their lab in Cuba holds. This makes him feel better immediately since he doesn’t really want to study seaweed or algae.

He is given a week of painful waiting, getting settled, doing more security training, visiting the admittedly picturesque beaches, before Allura finally gives him an ID card that would allow him to enter the actual building. It is a huge lab located in a very private area, no houses nearby. Keith is basically dying of curiosity at this point, wondering about the government-level secrecy. His excited mind goes back to thoughts of giant squids and megalodons.

Allura gives him a cursory tour of the lab before taking a deep breath.  

“Ok, Keith, we are going to let you meet him…”

“Him?”

“Yes. Well, we think. But again, you remember your NDA…”

“Allura, it’s not like I have any friends outside of you anyway. Who would I even tell?”

He is led into a massive room with a huge tank in the middle and several smaller ones to the sides. The tank is so big that there is a small elevator that takes you to the top. It is really one designed for an entire main room at an aquarium, but Keith supposes a megalodon would need a tank even larger.  

He hears it before he sees it. It is almost like a whale sound, but much less deep. A haunting, beautiful noise. Keith frowns. Maybe a new species of whale, a small one that would make these types of noises.

He walks up to the glass, taking in the habitat. It looks like a tropical ocean habitat, probably a mimicry of the tropical Cuban reefs. There are brightly colored fish swimming everywhere, from parrotfish to wrasses to angelfish and even some rays. Colorful coral and anemones made up a rich sea floor with plenty of areas to hide for the fish. Keith knows this eliminates his ideas about a huge shark or squid being the secret of Peisinoe.

He looks closer, trying to find the larger animal who must have made the sound. Perhaps a dolphin, a new type, he thinks.

He is surprised to see, nestled in the center of the manmade coral reef, what looks like a small house made out of seaweed and driftwood with a “door.” Keith knows that isn’t possible. It is probably just a trick of his mind. Then, in what Keith can admit looks like a front yard of the seaweed house, is a collection of shiny objects, arranged almost on purpose. A small pink dolphin statue, two impressively large and beautiful worm snail shells framing the “door,” and even little starfish lining what looks like a path to the front door.  

It looks like what a fantasy artist would create for magical sea beings in a piece of artwork. There is even a shiny piece of what looks like fabric that seems to be mimicking a flag.

Now, there are some animals who “decorate” for camouflage or other reasons still being studied by Keith’s colleagues, but he has never seen it to this extent. He feels a stab of annoyance because this looks like an overly eager marine biologist, decorating a scientific lab tank to look like a personal aquarium. It is unprofessional and Keith is surprised someone like Allura would allow it.  

But the question remains who the decorations are for. Maybe an octopus? A big one? Keith thinks.  

A few toys, such as big rings for swimming through and a ball that Keith recognizes as one commonly used for seals are in the tank as well, which brings him back to a dolphin.

Keith leans forward even closer, eyes darting around the enclosure to try to find who might live in the “house,” when, suddenly, a face appears in the glass, upside down and looking at him. Keith can’t help himself from crying out and stumbling backward. The face, a tan boy maybe about Keith’s age, has the gall to laugh. Keith’s mind can’t quite work fast enough, for some reason ignoring the fact that the boy is not wearing any diving equipment.

“You didn’t tell me there was another employee,” Keith says irritably.

“That…that isn’t an employee. That’s Peisinoe,” Allura responds.

It is only then that Keith’s eyes move upward, looking for a pair of legs and seeing none. Instead, he sees glittering, blue scales.

A mer…Keith stops himself. Ridiculous. Those don’t exist.

The boy…creature…rights himself, looking out of the glass with wide blue eyes. The more Keith looks, the less human he looks. There are translucent fins on his ears, smatterings of blue on his skin that seem to glitter, and, of course, the tail. The beautiful, flowing tail that seems almost holographic, rainbowy tints splashing across the most beautiful blue Keith had ever seen. There is the main, normal (if you can call it normal) tail and then delicate looking translucent fins fluttering around the main tail. It looks almost like a betta fish, if Keith had to make a comparison.

“Holy shit…” he whispers.

“Yep,” Allura responds.

Peisinoe presses against the glass, studying Keith’s face carefully before smirking and winking at him.

Keith has a feeling his life will never, ever be the same again.  


	2. Littoral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the initial wonder and happiness that comes with learning that a mythological creature actually exists and that we don’t know everything about the world around us, Keith realizes very quickly that he is hired for one purpose and one purpose only.

After the initial wonder and happiness that comes with learning that a mythological creature actually exists and that we don’t know everything about the world around us, Keith realizes very quickly that he is hired for one purpose and one purpose only.

The manual labor of caring for a huge marine animal that no one else on the team wants to do.

He is basically the grunt man for the team, the one who is the day-to-day carer for Peisinoe. Pidge is working on categorizing and interpreting his myriads of sounds. Hunk is examining his biology and how his body works. Shiro works with Peisinoe for several hours each day, recording his behavioral patterns and trying to communicate or train him to do simple tasks. Allura is over-looking it all as well as looking into what a discovery like this could mean for the world at large.

So, Keith becomes the person who does everything else, from cleaning the tank system to balancing the levels of the water to assisting the others when needed.

This is how he becomes, basically, a glorified babysitter for a mermaid. Because that is what the creature is. A mermaid. Allura had briefly considered coming up with a different name for the new species, but they all agreed that literally no one would ever call it anything but a mermaid.

He gets a brief history of how they found him, which is a surprisingly uninteresting story. Basically, Peisinoe had swum up to Allura and Hunk while they were examining some tropical guppies. After the initial shock wore off, the creature had basically refused to leave them, even willingly swimming into the tank that eventually brought him to his new home.

“We thought that maybe he might be injured and wanted help, but we can’t see any evidence of injury or sickness. He seems fine, happy even,” Hunk muses.

“My theory is that he was someone’s pet and he learned that humans bring you food and safety,” Shiro adds.

“That is our current theory. Maybe someone found him, cared for him, protected him from the world out of fear for his safety, and then something happened to that individual leaving Peisinoe alone,” Allura says.

Pidge rolls her eyes. “I don’t think he was or is a pet.”

“We don’t mean that we see him as a pet. Just that why else would he be so unafraid of humans?” Shiro responds.  

“Pidge doesn’t like our theory. Why don’t we see what you think once you get to know him?” Allura asks.

And Keith has a lot of time to formulate his own theory. Though he is basically the maintenance worker for Peisinoe’s set up, this also means he gets to spend the most time with the mermaid. He spends hours of his day just testing the water. The tank set up is huge. There is one very large aquarium that is Peisinoe’s main tank. It is so large that Keith has to take a lift from the ground floor to the platform on top. Then, there are two side tanks that are smaller, but easier to work more directly with the mermaid. Keith has to test the water frequently, including several places in the largest tank and the two smaller tanks independently. Though important work for Peisinoe’s health, this is easy work for someone like Keith so he observes Peisinoe to pass the time.

He quickly learns that Peisinoe is unlike any marine animal he has ever known.

Keith anxiously gets to work on the first day, using test strips to look at the water levels and acidity and adjusting where necessary. Peisinoe only makes an appearance when Keith is getting ready for lunch.  

The mermaid slowly rolls out of his little house, twirling in the water a few times and stretching. Oddly enough, several seahorses also emerge at the same time, eagerly darting off into the coral and seaweed that surround the house.

Keith gapes as Peisinoe floats with his hands behind his head, watching the seahorses mill around the yard, reaching out to pet one on the head as he floats by them.

_Pets_ , Keith thinks.

The seahorses are his pets.

He knows he is falling into the trap that they are warned against in behavioral marine biology classes. Don’t project human attributes onto animals. This has to be some sort of symbiotic relationship. They just had to figure out what the benefits were for each creature. Perhaps the small plankton and shrimp that seahorses eat for the majority of their diet irritate mermaids’ scales, but the mermaid attracts them so the seahorses always have plenty to eat.

Keith is sure there is a biological reason for the mermaid swooping up one of the seahorses and cuddling it close. Animals don’t keep pets, not like humans do.

Then, with another stretch, Peisinoe lets out a prolonged trill. It’s an interesting sound, one that Keith can’t quite place with other marine animals. It sounds more like a human trying to mimic a dolphin sound.

At this sound, a group of fish make their way over to him, swarming around him.

Keith drops any pretense of balancing the ph of the water and stares. Peisinoe is like a Disney princess, one trill and fish are swimming around him, resting on his shoulder and looking at him.

Peisinoe extends one hand, palm up, and a silver fish immediately places itself on his hand. Keith watches, unable to look away, wondering if the mermaid will cuddle the fish like he seemed to do with the seahorses.

Instead, he shoves the fish in his mouth and swallows it whole. Keith’s jaw drops as this continues for a few minutes, the fish swimming around him basically placing themselves in his mouth to be eaten. Then The mermaid then releases another, flatter trill and the fish disperse, going back to their normal patterns of swimming.

Keith can’t even come up with the words to describe how amazing this is. There are some creatures who can hypnotize pray, but usually with visual confusion and illusion. For example, the dragonfish, a deep sea creature, has transparent teeth combined with a bioluminescent tendril in its mouth, creating a confusing illusion where a prey fish would be unable to see the teeth and may even be drawn to the tendril as a light source.

This is different though. Keith is unsure of any animal auditory illusion this sophisticated. Sure, dolphins have some tactics with auditory confusion and communication, but this was on another level. It was like the fish were completely trained and hypnotized.

Keith is so deep in thought that he doesn’t even notice that he has been noticed. In a split second, Peisinoe is at the glass in front of Keith. He stares thoughtfully and then tilts his head to the side.

Without thinking, Keith reaches out toward the creature. Even though he knows better, he can’t help but think there is an intelligence to his eyes that can’t be explained away by calling him a pet or just an animal.

He presses one hand up to the glass. Peisinoe smiles and places his hand against the glass in the same way. Keith notes that Peisinoe’s hands are bigger and that there are claws that he couldn’t see before.

“You know, showing teeth is usually a sign of aggression or possession in animals, not a friendly gesture like with humans,” a voice sounds out behind Keith. He jumps backward and looks to see Shiro behind him.

“I know that,” Keith answers.

They both look back at Peisinoe who has flattened his ears against his head and crossed his arms across his chest.

“This is why we believe he was probably a pet of some human. He probably picked up some of our mannerisms. I don’t sense aggression out of him when he shows his teeth,” Shiro continues.

“Yes, he doesn’t seem aggressive at all.” Keith shakes his head. He has to remember that this is an animal and that the animal mimicking human behavior is the likely explanation for any human-like characteristics he displays.

“I’m here for my training session with Peisinoe. You can watch if you want?”

Keith lights up.

“Don’t get too excited,” Shiro warns, a dark tone to his voice.

 

******************

 

Keith shakes his head.

The meaning of Shiro’s warning is obvious from the start. They encourage Peisinoe to swim into one of the smaller tanks and then Shiro goes to work. And, by work, that meant trying to get the mermaid to do anything while the mermaid sat and pouted.

“Come on Peisinoe. Want this fish? Want the fishy? Swim through the hoop!” Shiro says encouragingly, waving the fish in front of a large hoop in the water.

Peisinoe stares at him, jaw set.

“Want to play with this toy?” Shiro says, holding up the marine animal equivalent of a squeaky toy shaped like a starfish. “Come touch your nose to this red dot.” Shiro points at a red dot on a buoy.

The mermaid pointedly looks away.

Keith can’t stop himself from snickering.

“I just haven’t found the positive reinforcement that would motivate him to do this stuff. It’s possible that his intelligence level is too low to do tricks, but observing his behavior otherwise leads me to think otherwise. What do you think his human did to motivate him?”

“Maybe he likes a special type of food?” Keith answers.

“We can’t give him human food.”

Keith shrugs. “Maybe more expensive fish?”

Shiro sighs. “I’ll keep working on it. I mean, my main studies fall under just observing his natural behavior, but wouldn’t it be nice to be the first known person to train a mermaid?”

After that, Shiro spends a few minutes writing in his notebook before packing up and leaving.  

Keith gets up, ready to move back down to the ground floor and start testing again.

Then, out of nowhere, something cold and slimy smacks across his face. He looks down to see a fish on the ground at his feet. Then, he turns to see Peisinoe staring at him, unmistakable glee in his eyes.

“Did you just throw a fish at me? You asshole.”

The mermaid barks with laughter and swims over to the edge.

This is Keith’s first time seeing the mermaid above water. He is every bit as beautiful as he is underwater, eyes practically glowing, skin shimmering, his hair curling just a little bit out of the water.

He moves closer, forgetting caution.

Peisinoe chirps and tilts his head again. Keith can see just a hint of sharp teeth in his mouth.

Keith moves even closer and leans down, only a few feet away from Peisinoe’s face now, entranced by his cheekbones, his eyes, the curve of his lips.

Then, without thinking, Keith holds his hand out.

“My name is Keith,” he says, awkwardly.  

The mermaid looks delighted and holds his own hand out, shaking Keith’s.

“And you are Peisinoe.”

The mermaid’s ears immediately flatten again and his brow furrows. Keith laughs.

“Peisinoe doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue does it?”

He stares at Keith unhappily.

He knows that the creature doesn’t really understand what is happening. He thinks that Shiro and Allura are likely right. He is just mimicking whatever human cared for him. But, nevertheless…

Keith points at himself. “Keith.”

Peisinoe points.

“You have no idea what I am doing, do you?”

Keith points at himself again.

“Eeeeef,” Peisinoe says. Keith can barely breath. That couldn’t be an accident, could it?

“Yes,” he nods his head rapidly. “Yes, Keith.” He emphasizes the first part this time.

“Cuh-eeeeef.”

“Oh my god, yes.”

The mermaid chirps happily.  

Keith points at him. “Peisinoe.”

This earns Keith a glare.

“Peisinoeeeee.”

Then, Keith swears he is not imagining it, but the mermaid shakes his head.

“Do you not like that name?”

Peisinoe sticks out his tongue.

“Do you want a new one?”

The mermaid watches him carefully.  

“Aiden?”

A head shake.

“Thomas?”

An offended look.

“Right, you are no Thomas.”

“Preston?”

“Alex?”

“Jaime?”

“Toby?”

“Taylor?”  

Peisinoe briefly considers the last one and then shakes his head.

“Maybe you don’t want a human name then,” Keith muses.

“Circe?”

“Midnight?”

“Sky?”

“Azul?”

Peisinoe shakes his head and pouts after every choice.

“This is hard, ok?” Keith sighs.

Keith studies the mermaid’s features. He is even closer now, leaning down at a smiling mermaid. That handsome face, the delicate features, the dashing smile. Like a prince, or a knight, or…

“Lancelot.”

The mermaid appears to be thinking.  

“Lancelot. Lance. Do you like Lance?”

The mermaid presses closer to Keith and appears to think.

“Lance…” Keith says.

“L…Looonce,” the mermaid says.  

Keith smiles. “Laaaaance.”

“Laaaaawnce.”

“It’s perfect,” Keith says, thinking Lance definitely looks like a handsome prince in a fairytale.  

He would never, ever, ever admit his inspiration for the new name to anyone. Never. Lance is just an animal, a sea creature to be studied. Not something to find attractive and definitely not something that should make Keith’s heart flutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh thank god I can call him Lance from here on out


	3. Azimuth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is told to enjoy Cuba when what he really wants to do is bond with his mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the really slow updates. Maybe some people remember this!

The first hummingbird appears on a slow morning. Keith is off that day and he spots it in the bedroom window of his apartment when he wakes up, peering inside at him with tiny black eyes. Keith has always loved all animals even if marine animals are special to him and he isn’t sure he has ever seen a hummingbird sitting instead of zooming around in the air.

He smiles and waves at it and then considers it a good sign for the day as he gets ready to go to the market.

To be honest, Keith hasn’t really explored much of Cuba so far.  Almost all of his time and energy is spent either with Lance or thinking about Lance. He can’t help it though. He feels like he has a bond with the mysterious creature.  

It might be confirmation bias of sorts or projecting human traits on something or someone, but he feels like they can communicate now with little gestures and the occasional word. Lance is smart and catches on eerily fast despite what the others might think.

But when he admits that he hasn’t even really checked out the ocean yet, Allura immediately gives him a day off and tells him to clear his head and go see Cuba. She even recommends some restaurants, an easy beach access, and, of course, the market that he is currently walking toward.

There are a lot of people browsing the outdoor stalls which is not really Keith’s thing, but he tries. He wanders through the many stalls, buying a few items here and there for his apartment or for a dinner he might cook later. There are fresh ingredients and homemade crafts made with dazzling colors and skills.

Closer to the ocean, he finds a stall that catches his eye because it has an awning and cover that is at least somewhat climate controlled. Bright colors draw him in where a smiling woman waits for him to make a choice. He looks around the set of very specific items, knowing he has no need for any of them, but yet…

It’s stupid.

He almost leaves over and over again.

But he sees something that reminds him of Lance. Something he can’t ignore.

So, without thinking, he pulls out his wallet and slaps down a few 20s into the woman’s hands, quickly grabbing his find.

There is nothing that says he can’t buy a present for Lance. I mean, the team had initially stocked his aquarium including decorations. It’s exactly the same thing, Keith tells himself.

When he walks back to his apartment, he hears a slight buzz as a hummingbird zooms past his ear. Keith wonders if it’s the same one or not.

**********************

 

The next morning, as he walks to the lab, present for Lance in hand, he sees 2 or 3 hummingbirds zooming around him as soon as he leaves his apartment building. He knows that Cuba has hummingbirds, but they _must_ be in season or something. He doesn’t think he has ever seen this many this close to him for this long. He gets the sense of being followed as he makes his way to the lab, hearing little buzzes around his head the entire way.  

He pulls out his phone, searching for Allura’s contact.

Keith: What is up with the hummingbirds here?

Allura: What?

Keith: It’s like an infestation

Allura: I don’t think I have even seen one while here…

Keith: Are you kidding me? They are everywhere

Allura: Maybe you are just getting lucky?

Lucky isn’t the word Keith would use as he tries to ignore the sets of beady little black eyes that seem to watch him as he shuts the door to the lab and makes his way to Lance.  

When he arrives, he comes across an anxious looking Hunk standing with something that looks like a gun in his hands and a bunch of supplies at his feet.  

“Hey buddy, whatcha got there?”

“Ok. Keith. Good. Hi. See, I’m supposed to be studying Peisinoe’s biology so I need some samples. But, he really, really doesn’t want to give them. He either fights me or, worse, cries when I try. He sounds SO SAD when he cries, Keith!”

Keith looks over at the mermaid. Hunk had sequestered him into the smaller tank where Lance is currently pressed against the farthest wall away from them. The look on his face is very close to a pout.

“Did you ask him?”

“Ask who?”

“Lan…Peisinoe.”

“Ask him??”

“Were you seriously going to _shoot_ him?”

“It’s a sedative! Just a sedative! We use it on all of our subjects sometimes…but I can’t do it. I can’t. Look at him. He looks so sad.”

Keith comes close to growling, glaring at the gun in Hunk’s hands before turning away.

“Would some saliva and skin cells be enough for you right now?”

“Uh, sure.”  

Keith grabs some swabs from the supplies at Hunk’s feet and then makes his way to the water. He hums, a noise that he knows Lance likes, and puts his feet in the water until Lance swims over to him. The ear flaps around his head are pinned back in what seems to be the universal sign of something that is upset.  

“Hey Lance. Rough day?”

Lance glares at him and then spins in a tight circle.

“Want a present?” Keith holds up the shiny blue box he had wrapped his present in.

Lance’s eyes immediately widen. He reaches for it, huffing when Keith pulls back enough so that he cannot reach it.  

He whimpers, an adorable noise, and then points at the present and then to himself.

“Yes, but can you do me a favor first?”

Lance tilts his head.

“Look,” Keith says, pulling out one of the swabs he had grabbed from Hunk.

Lance watches closely as Keith swabs his own cheek.

“See? It’s fine,” he says, casually giving a thumbs up, wondering if that is a universal language. Then, he holds up a new swab, twirling it and then pointing at Lance’s mouth.

Lance frowns, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I won’t make you if you don’t want to,” Keith says, putting the swab down. He means it even though he knows that isn’t going to fly with Allura or the others, at least not permanently.  

Lance looks at him, then at Hunk, then at the swabs, then at the present. He huffs again, sinking down in the water so that only his eyes are visible. Then he pops back up and pulls himself close to Keith, while opening his mouth.

His mouth betrays how not human Lance really is. The teeth are too sharp, but even worse is the throat. There are rows of sharp spines surrounding the entrance to his throat, which also looks strangely jointed and layered. It reminds Keith of a snake’s throat and jaws and how they can unhinge their mouths to eat larger prey. He assumes Lance _can_ eat larger prey and perhaps the spines help shred it as it goes down the throat.

He is fascinated and would like to explore more, but works quickly so that Hunk can get his samples and leave. He swabs liberally across the inside of Lance’s cheeks before pulling back and securing the sample.

“Thanks, man,” Hunk says. “Do you think he would give me some scales next?”

Keith shrugs, eyes wandering across the expanse of Lance’s beautiful, shining body. There is zero way he would ever force a scale off Lance, he knows that for sure.

He can barely wait for Hunk to leave and Lance seems to feel the same way, practically vibrating with energy as the door shuts behind Hunk and Keith finally hands him the box.

Lance first pulls it close and rolls around with it in the water, squealing happily. He only stops when Keith motions him over again.

“You have to open it. The actual present isn’t the box…”

He moves his hands in a way that imitate opening the box. Lance tilts his head and then nods, pulling the top off.

Then, he pulls out his gift, eyes shining in wonder.

It’s a blueberry sea fan, a beautiful type of coral that always reminded Keith of a miniature flowering tree that somehow grows underwater instead of in fresh air. Lance seems to have, for lack of a better word, a yard that he tends to in the aquarium. Keith can see the coral being a good addition, a brilliant blue like Lance himself, a unique and beautiful decorative coral, and, better yet, good for seahorses which, Keith knows no matter what the rest of the team says, the seahorses are totally Lance’s pets.

Keith watches closely as Lance pulls out the coral, running his fingers over it. He grins and his face lights up, and Keith’s heart skips a beat.

Keith is suddenly very hot as Lance places the coral in the water and lunges at Keith. Keith tries to pull back, but Lance forces his face down close to the water with surprising strength. For one, weird moment he thinks Lance is going to kiss him. Instead, the mermaid presses his forehead against Keith’s, holding still for a moment before pulling back, smiling that goofy smile, and then suddenly diving back into the water. Keith quickly opens up the small tank, allowing Lance access to the rest of his area.

Then, he watches Lance swim around his yard, fussing for a few minutes before planting the blueberry sea fan, a special area in the front yard chosen.

When Keith goes to sleep that night, he dreams of sparkling gems and the swirling sea.    


	4. Euphotic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge talks to Keith and then Lance has a surprise for Keith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so a faster update than last time at least??

That night, Keith goes to the beach in an attempt to clear his head. He brings a beer and lays back on the sand, listening to the ebb and flow of the water and thinking of blue eyes and happy chirps and English lessons.

It’s relaxing, but he hears a strange noise grow louder the longer he lays there.

A buzzing.

He quickly opens his eyes, remembering that beach bees can be particularly nasty and that maybe he had laid a bit too close to a hive.

Instead, he wakes to a flock of hummingbirds surrounding him. A few buzz over his head. Others sit on the sand near him.

They are all watching him.

Now, hummingbirds are small, harmless, even cute birds, but imagine those small, harmless, cute birds in a swarm and suddenly they become unsettling. Keith stands up briskly, grabbing his beer and walking back toward his apartment.

The buzz of the hummingbirds follows him, only stopping when he slams the door shut.

*******************

“So, you and Lance bonded, eh?” Pidge asks Keith, not even looking at him as she fiddles with her tablet.

Keith pauses where his hand is, currently measuring a cleaning solution to add to the water. “Wha…I mean, yes. But, how did you know I call him Lance?”

“He told me. He calls himself Lance now too.”

They both look over to the lazy mermaid, drifting at the top of the tank and aimlessly twirling a piece of seaweed around in his hand.

“Lance!” Pidge yells.

He startles and then swims over. She holds up her fist and the mermaid lifts his hand, fist bumping her.

“I mean, you can clearly see he is sentient, intelligent, and self-aware, right?”

Keith nods rapidly.

Lance cocks his head to the side.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with the others. They are falling into the fallacy that humans are the only intelligent life out there, which is stupid. Even some marine life, apes, and elephants are complicating our understanding of that idea.”

“Yes. Lance is clearly intelligent.”

Lance swipes at them, annoyed.

“Yes, we’re talking about you. Learn English faster if you want to understand,” Pidge rolls her eyes at him.

The mermaid huffs and splashes at her.

“So, you are teaching him English?”

“Yup. He is a fast learner…a good learner,” she says. Keith can see Lance’s eyes light up with recognition at the words.

“You are helping him learn too, aren’t you?” She gestures at him while looking at Lance.

“Keef!”

“And…” Pidge gestures at herself.

“Pedge!...English hard.”  

“Yeah buddy but try saying your actual name for Keith.”

“Name?”

“Real name.” She jabs a finger at him.

Lance opens his mouth and lets out a series of notes, like he is singing, including some clicks and chirps.

“THAT is his name. And he calls English hard.”

Lance splashes her again and swims away with a flick of his tail.

***************

 

Keith is finishing up for the night, mopping the floor and making sure to check Lance’s water one last time to make sure it’s in the correct parameters before leaving for the day.

Then, he hears a beautiful noise, much like a bell ringing.

He is used to most of Lance’s noises by now, but this is a new one, a tinkling, fairy-like sound, delicate and ethereal.

He turns to see Lance suspended upright in his tank, right where Keith is standing with the mop.

Then, he twirls and, as he twirls, his fins seem to elongate and multiply.

Keith watches, mesmerized, as the mermaid’s normal form changes, transforming into something else.

Something breathtaking.

His normal fins lengthen and thin out, looking like sheer, beautiful fabric trailing around him. Then, from out of nowhere, new fins appear, unfold, and expand. They are silky and flowy and full.

Keith drops his mop, staring, mouth wide open.

Lance stops spinning then and looks at him. Keith notices that even his face has changed. His teeth are elongated. His features seem softer. The little fins that are on his ears and expand and lengthen.

His eyes glow.

He looks gorgeous, like the mythological creature that he is, maybe even prettier than Keith could have imagined.

Then, he starts twirling again, this time slower, more deliberate. He flips over backwards in the water, arching his back and jutting his hips above his body, then twists, contorting in the opposite direction.

His body bends in ways that aren’t possible, but rather than being unsettling it is stunningly beautiful. Every movement sets his silky fins fanning around him, dancing along with him and framing every beautiful pose he hits. It reminds Keith of an aerial dancer except in water, an alluring whirling motion that leaves him breathless.  

There are moments where he verges on being provocative but never quite reaches it. It’s always just a hint, a suggestion, a beckoning.

His colors seem to evolve as well. The blues seem brighter, more glittery, deeper, like the bluest ocean, but Keith is also surprised by how much gold appears out of nowhere. Rich, bright gold dances along his fans, especially the secondary ones. The light catches each bit of sparkle, colors that he has never seen in any living animal but more suited to expensive jewelry and silks he has only seen on the History channel or museums.

He shines so much that it almost feels like a light show, movement, light, glitter, and gold ebbing and flowing with every fluid twist of Lance’s body. It is captivating, alluring, a breathtaking symphony of movement.  

Keith couldn’t rip his eyes away even if he wanted to. 

He can’t even tell how long it lasts. It could be a minute or an hour. Eventually, Lance is upright again, the fuller fins settling around him like elegant silks hanging off his shoulders.

He looks straight at Keith, a hint of apprehension in his gaze.

Keith walks over, stopped only by the glass that separates him. He puts his hand against the glass, looking longingly at the mermaid.  

Lance swims over, staring right back at Keith. He leans forward toward Keith’s face and, if the glass wasn’t there, they would have shared their first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	5. SPL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance grow closer as Keith has growing concerns about his relationship with the mermaid. Lance has other ideas though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm so slow. I don't drop fics though. Also, Blood Bath is also not dropped if anyone here reads that.

This is all completely normal and entirely about scientific inquiry.

They aren’t flirting.

They aren’t growing closer by the day.

Even right now, they aren’t cuddling. Not really.

Keith is repairing one of the filters in the shallow end of the water and Lance is leaning against his back, idly playing with a fidget spinner Keith bought for him.

A present, sure, but not like a _real_ gift. Keith is just interested in what this new species will do with the trinkets he brings Lance all the time now. That is the sole reason he spends so much time wandering the beach, the markets, and the internet in his free time looking for presents that remind him of the mermaid.

Scientific interest.

Scientific inquiry.

Lance slings an arm around his waist and nuzzles at his neck, grazing against the necklace Keith is wearing. A necklace of seashells punctuated with little bits of sea glass, created for him by Lance. Lance had offered him the gift with big, shiny eyes, hopeful. When Keith put it on, Lance had been giddy with excitement.

A bloom of happiness and warmth spreads across his chest just thinking about it.

Just politeness though. Scientific politeness.  

I mean, it would have been rude to reject the gift.

He finishes the repair and then turns around, receiving an armful of Lance.

“Keef,” the mermaid says, happily. “Hold meeeeee!”

Just scientific interest, Keith tells himself as he cradles the mermaid.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Other times, in the middle of the night, Keith lays awake and sweats.

He’s dating the mermaid. They are dating. Or, whatever equivalent would be. Do mermaids even date? Do they make small talk about their days in stilted English like he and Lance do now? Does Lance know what he is doing? Does he understand kisses and what they mean? What exactly does he mean when he gives Keith presents and hugs?

Or, on the flip side, how much trouble would Keith be in if anyone found out? You don’t romance new species. It’s unethical and morally wrong. There is a power imbalance if nothing else. Lance is alone in a tank somewhere surrounded by a strange species to him.

Thinking about it that way, isn’t it messed up that they have Lance in a tank at all? I mean, back when they thought he was an animal…

But Lance isn’t an animal. He is sentient, which brings in a whole other set of questions. Should they even be keeping Lance? What if he has a family? Friends? How can a tank compare to the literal ocean?

It’s complicated and Keith doesn’t know how to untangle himself from the mess. The happiness he feels with Lance clashes with the deep guilt and growing concern he has for what they are doing to Lance, studying him like a specimen, keeping a wildly intelligent sentient being in a tank and away from his natural home.

He doesn’t even know what the end game is.

Eventually, Allura would publish results.

Eventually, others would want to see him.

Eventually, the secret would be out. Then what? Would he be a spectacle? Something school children could come visit and stare at? Would more invasive tests be run? Could Keith protect Lance from all that? Could he trust Allura not to subject him to anything that would deny him dignity?

Should he release Lance?

And if he did, would Lance swim away and forget him?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He knows he needs to actually discuss this with Lance. For all Keith’s worries, Lance does seem happy and, if not happy about something, he makes it known to all around him. If his water is half a degree off his ideal temperature, Keith hears about it as soon as he walks into the building, angry chittering that sends him running to the tank. If the variety of his food is one step below his normal tastes, he throws a fit, sulking at the bottom of the tank until different types of fish are added.

He also likes the occasional jellyfish as a treat, something Keith himself figured out when Lance, in as clear terms as he could manage, describes one to Keith.

The point being if Lance is miserable and unhappy in the tank, Keith assumes that he would let them know. The fact that he doesn’t makes Keith put off the conversation, put off making a decision either way. He tells himself when Lance’s English improves, he would sit down with him and have a conversation to settle things. Before then, Keith promises himself that he would respect Lance and respect the fact that Lance may not be consenting in the way Keith thinks he is.  

Keith tries too. He really tries to maintain some boundaries.

He can’t let himself fall deeper into this situation with Lance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Keith isn’t the only factor in this situation though.

There is Lance, who is expressive and clearly seems to know what he wants.

And he wants Keith.

A snaking hand on Keith’s thigh.

A mischievous smirk as he plays at pulling Keith into the water.

A heavily lidded stare as he sprawls across the new sunning deck Keith had installed for him, rubbing a hand down his toned abs.

A whisper in his ear.

The gentle touch of a fin sliding across his back.

Keith is _struggling_.

What he wants isn’t possible. Isn’t ethical.

Lance probably doesn’t even understand how Keith feels. The thoughts he has. What he wants.

He can’t taint what might be an innocent living being with his not so innocent desires.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He tells himself this even as he says goodnight to Lance one night, walking away even as the mermaid grips onto his sleeve in an attempt to make him stay after hours.

He is almost out the door, but makes the mistake of stopping before entering the elevator that would take him to the ground floor and then safely home. He looks back and sees a frustrated looking Lance in the middle of the tank, glaring at him.

He looks at him, heart swelling with love and desire. Lance merely clicks his tongue.

Then, a noise.

It sounds like a gong being hit, but in an otherworldly way, like a gong and chimes at the same time. Keith freezes.

The sound happens again and, before he even realizes it, Keith is walking back toward the tank. It’s like a trance. He didn’t make this choice and he isn’t moving his body. Yet, he moves nevertheless, compelled toward the edge of the tank.

He stands for a second before the sound rings across the space again and then he is falling, falling, falling until he hits the water. His muscles still don’t work and he floats for a moment before strong arms wrap around him, pulling him down into the murky depths.

 


	6. Neptunian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is dragged by Lance to the depths below...

Keith foolishly fights against Lance for a moment, attempting to break free from the tight grasp the mermaid has on both his body and brain. It is useless though. Lance’s body, which had always seemed so flexible and lithe and fluid, is anything but at this moment. It is pure muscle gained from an animal who can swim through the treacherous waves of the ocean with ease. The real surprise is the weird out of body experience Keith is having though. One noise from Lance’s mouth and Keith no longer has control over his body. He can’t even attempt to swim away or do anything but helplessly tremble in Lance’s arms. He feels foggy, there but not, and somehow knows that Lance is in control right now in every meaning of the word.

He doesn’t panic though, not right away. He knows Lance likes him. He knows Lance is intelligent. He is learning English, for god’s sake. He should know that humans need air.

So he assumes Lance is just playing, at least until he is dragged further and further down, deeper into the dark depths surrounding them. His mind frantically starts doing calculations. If Lance lets him go now, then would he survive? Yes. If Lance drags him all the way to the bottom? Possibly not. If Lance doesn’t let him go soon? No.

As they rapidly approach the bottom of the tank, Keith can only lay limply with growing horror as Lance stuffs him into his little cottage-type home.

He will die.

He will die and then Allura or someone will find his bloated corpse stuffed in Lance’s little home.

Maybe Lance isn’t as intelligent as he thought. Maybe he doesn’t get that they are different species, that this could literally kill Keith. Maybe he will play with his body afterward, no different from a killer whale playing with its prey after a hunt.

His lungs are burning now and he can’t hold his breath much longer as Lance swirls around him, wrapping his tail around him, trilling and cooing. He puts a shell in front of Keith’s face and, perhaps another time, Keith would have appreciated it, but right now he is feeling the last precious seconds of his life slip away.

He takes a breath then, unable to stop the instinctual reaction of his body to fill his lungs with air. All he receives is water though and the unbearable choking, smothering feeling of water entering his body, his lungs. He panics, thrashing, when Lance makes another bell-like noise.

Keith immediately stills, forcefully at peace.  

_Well_ , he thinks. At least Lance is making his death serene rather than violent.

He feels the mermaid pull Keith close and tug him into his equivalent of a lap. Lance cradles Keith in his arms as distant fireworks start exploding behind Keith’s eyes.  

Then, a brush of lips.

If Keith could laugh, then he would. He is dying and Lance is trying to kiss him. Lance tilts his head back and presses Keith’s mouth open with his surprisingly strong, somewhat spiny tongue.

_At least I’ll die making out with a hot ass mermaid_ , Keith thinks, trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible in the precious last few seconds of life he has left.

Keith fades in and out of consciousness until he finally starts to wonder why he isn’t actually dead yet. He knows how long humans can survive without oxygen and he has long passed that point.

In fact, the burn inside his body is fading and the dim fireworks are gone. Lance’s lips are still pressed against Keith’s and, as his mind clears, he realizes that the kiss is not just a kiss. Lance is breathing into him, a bizarre mimicry of CPR.

Lance’s tongue swirls inside his mouth, but more importantly is the steady breathing, filling Keith’s lungs with oxygen and then sucking the carbon dioxide of Keith’s exhales back into his own body.

Keith isn’t even sure how this works, but immense gratitude fills him as oxygen circulates through his body and reaches his brain, allowing him to think calmly again.

He knows, somewhere deep inside, that he isn’t out of the woods just yet, but that isn’t significant to him right now.

Instead, he feels intense gratitude and relief at the fact that his body is no longer dying. Then, he focuses on how intimate this is. They are in their own little world, deep inside a tank of water, completely alone, sharing the breath of life between them. Keith feels a rush of warmth, of happiness, of love…

Lance pulls back then, smirking at him smugly. Keith panics again, not wanting to feel the burn of drowning like before. Lance shakes his head.

_Relax._

He feels the word more than hears it.

As he floats inside Lance’s little house, Keith realizes that he no longer feels like he is holding (or failing to hold) his breath. Instead, he feels fine. Like he doesn’t need to take a breath at all.

He looks wide-eyed at Lance.

_See? Fine. Shell!_

Lance holds up the shell again. It is a huge, pink conch shell and admittedly very pretty.

Keith smiles and strokes it, wondering if he actually did die and this is just his brain allowing him one last pretty dream before the ultimate fade to darkness.

Lance points out different parts of his house, a bunch of small trinkets, many bought by Keith, one he recognizes to be Shiro’s missing Rolex though. Then, a few pieces of brightly colored coral and seaweed. Then, a round, woven mass of seaweed that Lance sprawls across.

_Sleep._

Keith nods and floats and smiles and wonders when his death dream will be over.

Then, Lance pulls him outside the home into the little garden area and clicks. In seconds, a herd of seahorses appear, twirling around Lance. One latches onto Keith’s finger and looks up at him with big, affectionate eyes.

_Dogs._

Keith pets a few, deciding that, dead or not, he might as well enjoy the moment. He isn’t really interested in the seahorses though, not when he is next to someone like Lance.

He grabs Lance’s hand and looks at him, so gorgeous all the time, but especially here in his element, effortlessly slipping through the water.  

Lance smiles and pulls him close, encircling him with his long body, delicate fins floating all around Keith.

_Mine._

The word is clear as a bell.

Then Lance kisses him again, a real kiss this time, less medical necessity and more softness.

It’s so sweet that Keith forgets to stress about the fact that he is underwater somehow not breathing. They drift, wrapped up in each other, Lance trailing kisses down his neck before returning to his mouth, hands wrapped up in his air.

He still half-thinks he is dead when Lance apparently decides the visit is over, gently swimming him back to the surface.

There is a moment of discomfort when they pop out of the water. Keith momentarily forgets that, as someone probably not dead, he needs to breathe.

He sucks in the air which now feels strange and harsh and starts choking. It takes a few moments of breathing again with Lance’s hand rubbing his back before everything feels normal.

“Wow…” Keith says, staring at Lance in wonder.

Lance shoots him finger guns and then is gone, only a gentle ripple in the water as he dives back into the depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance demands an apology from every one of you who thought he would accidentally or deliberately hurt Keith :p

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://furiouskanekicollector.tumblr.com/)


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